Despite many locals not quite grasping the concept of shared workspaces, the facility is contributing greatly to the economic development in the county. Right here in our small town is the home to quite an amazing group of professionals that call Caswell County home and also work here for major corporations. Each day the facility is home to at least 12 different companies several of which are on the Fortune 500 list. Others are independent contractors or solo-prenuers (entrepreneurs that run their own business and do not have any employees aside from themselves, for now).
This asset in the heart of Yanceyville although started as an entrepreneurial incubator, has truly become the place to be in Yanceyville. As the workplace has evolved with the pandemic allowing many to work from home, Caswell County has been a desirable location for many families relocating a more calm and serene rural life. CoSquare provides a place for the professional that are moving here, to have it all.
If you need access to one gig of internet, then you too may want to join the working space too. For $50 month, you have access to the internet, copiers, scanners and conference rooms. We spoke with several of the CoSquare members and are excited to share with you what is really going on at CoSquare.
IT Assistance --- Downtown Yanceyville
Meet Kent Graves. Caswell County native, resident of Florida, that makes frequent visits to Caswell to assist with the care of his aging parents. Kent does contract work for Cox Edge in their New Growth Technology Division. Kent is also a licensed Quick Books consultant and assists small businesses with the online version of Quick Books. With a Masters in IT Security, and a doctorate in the works, having this professional business person in our county is a real plus!
Entrepreneurial Family - Meet Santanna Mimms
Santanna and her husband both office their businesses in CoSquare. Mimms Contractors is run by her husband and Santanna is building a business targeted to toddlers called Tiny Tribe. The soft play fun packages offer toddlers that may be too small for a traditional bounce house, a fun way to interact with others. At the Hoedown this year, Tiny Tribe will be featured. Santanna says, ‘I absolutely love being a part of CoSquare. Cosquare was the best fit for us. I personally love that everything is included in our suite fee. Your internet, desk, chairs a fully functioning kitchen, conference rooms and so much more.”
Living the Dream - Meet Will
It was CoSquare alone that attracted Will and his wife to Caswell County. As a military veteran having lived across the state, they were seeking acreage for their young family within a manageable radius of Will’s employer where he could work remotely. His wife, Stefanie discovered CoSquare online and they immediately made the decision to relocate here where they now have chickens, pigs and are happy to be able to experience the American Dream here in Caswell while maintaining a professional level role as the Accounting Team Lead for Relias, a company that helps its clients deliver better clinical and financial outcomes by reducing variation in healthcare. Will shared that the facility at CoSquare is as nice as the corporate office that he used to work out of in Morrisville.
Mission: Caswell Arts. Meet Karen Williamson.
You may already know her as the Executive Director of the Caswell Arts Council. Karen shares, ‘Having our office here in CoSquare gives us more visibility, more foot traffic, and the opportunity to interact more frequently with local businesses...thus strengthening our varied relationships. We are able to use the big screen TV to show productions that local filmmakers have created; we hosted our annual members meeting here to great success; and we will be co-hosting an innovative program soon that partners the local VFWs, American Legion, Caswell County Senior Center, Racing for Heroes, and us.
Among the other tenants at CoSquare are a couple local organizations like the Caswell County Chamber of Commerce,
Piedmont Community College, and a few local nonprofits including Cool Beans. Yet others making CoSquare home are employees from corporations like a pharmaceutical company Amazon, Hanes Brands, and Vanguard Financial Services. Not bad for a small rural town!
Gone are the days of needing a factory full of hourly workers to constitute growth in an economy. Because these large companies have employees in the county with high level salaries, it provides a unique way to experience economic growth contributing greatly to our tax base. In the service economy we live in today the opportunities for Caswell to continue to grow in this way is great.
As published by AC Hodges in the Bright Leaf Hoedown Caswell Messenger Supplement, September 14, 2022
